The injury couldn't have come at a much worse time from Juventus' perspective. After all, their season-opening match against Chievo is on Saturday.

Massimiliano Allegri's side are the three-time defending Serie A champions and are favored to take the crown once again this season. Losing Pirlo for a month won't necessarily sink them, but it will make navigating the early part of the campaign far more difficult.

Pirlo scored four times and dished out six assists in 29 Serie A starts for Juventus last season. However, even when he isn't scoring or setting up his teammates, Pirlo keeps opposing defenders honest due to his incredible versatility.

He is particularly skilled on set pieces, so having to play without Pirlo for a month will certainly hurt Juventus in that area.

The former Milan midfielder netted a pair of goals in Juventus' final tuneup game prior to the season over the Singapore Select Squad. After that match, Allegri seemed excited about what the season had in store for Pirlo when speaking to the media, via Channel NewsAsia.

"He played well and I see him as a key player for next season," Allegri said. "He performed well and so did the rest of the team. We have to keep following this direction. This is the last match before the start of the season, so let's see what happens when we get back to Italy."

Pirlo seems ageless. He continues to play at a high level despite being 35 years old. However, some may start to question how many years he has remaining in his career. He could very well bounce back quickly from this injury, but it certainly gets tougher for players the older they get.

There will be some pressure on Pirlo to recover quickly if Juventus are unable to get off to a strong start, but both he and the club must be cautious with this hip injury or else risk making this an even longer-term absence.